Can't run from the Past
by Iwriterandomstuff
Summary: The red headed girl was running down the alley. Demons swarmed in in pursuit. They were demons of memories. One showed her a vision of a blond boy. Another, the feeling of a smooth swish of a brush. A third one, the pain from a slap to the face. She turned and ran. The girl looked behind her. They had disappeared. But they weren't gone. They would come back. One day. Soon.
1. Can't Run From the Past

Clary woke up with a start. The library slowly came to a focus. She sat up and looked out of the nearby window. The full moon was still shining in the night sky. She looked around. No one was here. Clary had observed very carefully the schedule of the night guard and always darted out of the library through the room where returned books came. There was a back door where she could easily pick through after reading a book about magic tricks in her stay at the library.

Coarse fur touched her ankles. Clary looked down. A cat, dark as midnight was rubbing her leg and purring with pleasure. Clary bent down and tried to pet him but the little rascal ran away. The redhead peered into the darkness but couldn't see the cat anymore. A pair of yellow eyes stared back. This brought up a sudden flashback.

 _It was a sunny morning in Brooklyn, a rare omen. A fifteen year old girl stood anxiously at a door, a million thoughts racing through her head._ Am I in the right place? Did I get the address wrong? What if the girl doesn't like me? Will I have to give up my only chance at a job?

 _The buzzer crackled to life. The speaker in a disembodied voice asked, "Hello? This is the Lightwood apartment. Please state who you are."_

" _Clary, uh Clary Fray. The new tutor?" Clary stuttered, coloring up._

 _The robotic voice disappeared. A business like voice came instead. It was feminine and kind but with a stern spine._

" _Clary. We have been expecting you. Please come in." The white door slowly opened. Clary walked in after a hesitant step._

 _New Yorkers were so classy. It was evident this family was rich. The room was large and modern with cyan grey walls, only an experienced eye of an artist could tell. A great staircase in the middle led to the second floor with mahogany railing. The floor was white marble with tall potted plants along the walls. Two hallways led out of the room, each on the other side of the staircase. Clary was too busy admiring the grand and elegant room to notice the woman much._

 _A quiet but firm cough invaded her thoughts. The woman was tall with a peachy-pale skin and jet black hair with not a single grey streak. She was rather young looking with almost no wrinkles and a fitting frame. Yet, Clary's trained eyes could detect a wrinkle in her eyes, several spots along the neckline of her striking suit and a single grey hair on the right side of her head._

" _Hello, I am Maryse. Welcome to the "Institute", as we call it," Maryse said with a inward smile as if a secret joke. She was the woman speaking on the buzzer._

" _I'm Clary Fray. This is um, a very nice house you got." Clary blushed at her lower class slang._

 _But Maryse didn't wrinkle her nose or stiffen her shoulders like most stuffy stuck-up. She just smiled and turned around. Her jet-black hair was tied in a low bun showing barely enough of her neck. She wore a black blazer and a blouse which had a rather low v-neckline stopping in the middle of her chest. It wasn't skimpy or anything. She wore cropped black dress pants which flared up a bit at the bottom. Her heeled black ankle boots were so classy and perfect Clary felt like bending down and staring at them for the whole day._

 _Maryse's fashionable suit made Clary aware of her own appearance. Her shirt had graphics on them and her plaid number was dusty. Her best jean jacket on top seemed dirty and out of place in the fancy house. Clary's jeans were torn and frayed with bits of dirt and dust with washed out converse. Her backpack hung limply on her back. Clary felt like a homeless person surrounded by all the modern-ness._

 _Clary ran after to follow Maryse's steps. Even for a middle-aged woman, she was quick and tall. Taller than Clary, even. Maryse rounded around a corner and stopped at an even more modern kitchen with glass cabinets and marble counters. Next to the counter was a stool and a little girl sitting on it._

 _She was probably about ten and had very similar features with her mother. The girl was rather tall, up to Clary's shoulder and was skinny. She had olive skin and brown eyes._

" _Clary, this is Isabelle. Izzy, this is Clary, your new tutor."_

" _You mean Jace's new toy," sneered the ten year old. She shuddered at the sight of the dirty and skinny teenager before her._ How dare she bring all that filth here _thought Isabelle with a sniff._

 _Maryse seemed extremely embarrassed. Her neck was starting to flush._

" _What? It's not like I'm lying. Before you know it, she's gonna be drooling all over for Jace's hand on her c-" Isabelle was cut shortly by Maryse's outburst._

" _You will not speak like that in front of a guest!" snapped Maryse._

" _You mean a stupid peasant, groveling for your money!" Isabelle shouted back._

 _Clary stood by uncomfortably. She had disliked Isabelle since she opened her mouth and dreaded tutoring her. Now, she was regretting her decision to come here. Maybe being a waitress at Taki's was better. Obviously a perfect home didn't mean a perfect family. She was just about to sneak slowly out, when she bumped into a boy._

 _He was possibly over six feet and had yellow blond hair. But that wasn't all. The boy's eyes were a color of a strange yellow. Along with his chiseled features, he looked much like a lion that was watching her with inhuman yellow eyes._

Clary snapped out of her memory. She had vowed long ago to never deal with her past. No way was she going back now.

Clary got off the comfy couch and stretched. Squinting into the darkness, she could make out a lump on the ground. Grabbing her backpack, Clary turned to look at the clock. It said 5:00 am.

 _Well,_ she thought, _might as well leave anyway._ Blindly, the small and skinny teen navigated her way through the children's books. Looking at her from afar, one might think she was one of those girls who were trying to lose weight by not eating since "skinny" was all the fashion. Yet, on a closer look, you could tell her ribs were showing and her cheekbones protruding and not just for weight loss.

Clary knew she was ugly. She had absolutely no curves, her bright red hair was in tangles, her face skinny and pale. She had no stomach and her ankles were bright red from the cold. Her clothes weren't an improvement either. She had a sweatshirt about three times too big and super small jeans. Her shoes were worn and almost in tatters. The library lost and found wasn't that big on clothes.

Silently, the starving girl crept through the giant library and into the return books room. Taking a pin and jiggled with the door knob. Clary almost laughed. She was creeping through abandoned buildings in the middle of the night and using a bobby pin to get out like a top secret spy. Lost in her fantasies, the teen didn't recognize the night guard until the roar of his car was gone. The silence still ringing in her ear, she hastily jiggled the doorknob again and found it stuck. Taking the bobby pin out, Clary stuck it back in and bent it left and right. Suddenly the door swung out on well oiled hinges. The guard's footsteps neared and Clary darted out closing the door silently behind her.

After dashing quietly through the parking lot, and across the street to the coffee store. It was 6:00 by then and Clary quietly slipped in with her key. Shoving her backpack under the counter and donning an apron, she flipped the sign to open.


	2. How Far the Distance

It was the middle of the day and Java Jones was bustling with people coming in from their lunch break. Clary Fray was at the cashier and Maia Roberts with her bushy brown hair was making the coffees.

Maia was a quiet and reserved girl and didn't ask questions. Even if Clary Fray showed up in her clothes obviously from the lost and found, Maia kept her mouth shut. Even when she could see Clary's ribs poking out of her shirt, Maia turned away and minded her own business.

Today, Clary looked out of breath. There was a slight sheen of sweat on her forehead and her scrawny chest was inflating and deflating in a rapid motion.

"Christine Johnson!" Maia called out. A brunette came and got her caramel frappuccino.

Maia was feeling rather giddy today (she was going on a blind date her friend recommended and was excited) so she tried to talk with Clary.

"So, umm, how's the weather?" Maia asked stupidly.

Clary looked up startled, in the middle of her monotone.

"Umm, I don't know. I've been next to you the whole day," Clary replied, not knowing where the sudden outburst came from.

To her relief, Maia chuckled. Suddenly, the quiet girl burst into chatters. Maia trailed all day long with her continuous words without a pause. It was like a pop up box that suddenly burst.

"Sorry if I bored you to death. I'm just so excited for my mystery date!" Maia squealed.

Clary discreetly coughed a couple times to check if her hearing still worked. _Where had this chatterbox come from?_

"Aww, really? That must be nice."

"I know right?" With another squeal, Maia slammed the door a little too hard.

Sighing, Clary began to clean the counter. Java Jones was closing soon. Clary remembered a time when someone was as excited as Maia.

" _So, how'd it go?" Simon asked. He and Clary were walking down the streets of downtown New York also known as the Alicante which was sort of ironic. Alicante meant White Point which was pretty much the opposite of the graffitied walls and the cramped stalls of marketeers._

" _Ohh it went wonderful," Clary drawled, "absolutely everything went wrong."_

" _How so?" Simon asked, a lock of dark chocolate hair falling over his round glasses._

" _Ohh, well, my student is a super hot kid with a heck a lot of attitude and refuses to learn or cooperate. She has a brother who is a golden god with a overly sarcastic personality who is getting on my every nerve. This weird fake fashion "private" designer who comes by everyday, dressed in leopard prints and so much glitter in his hair, he is a living, walking disco ball."_

" _Never would have pinned the upper class for strippers." The two friends howled in laughter._

 _Clary and Simon had been best friends since they were six. While others thought Simon as a nerd, Clary knew a more secretive boy. A gangly and awkward Star Wars fan with a ironic and witty personality._

 _While they were walking through the dirty streets of Alicante, a boy with a buzz cut barreled into Simon nearly knocking him over._

" _Simon we're gonna perform at the Pandemonium! The one in the upper state New York!" Eric gushed, his long time dream come true._

 _Simon was in a nameless, or couldn't-decide-a-name-yet, band. They were probably about average not really the best. So how they got to play at the Pandemonium, Clary had no clue. Eric most likely over exaggerated some facts. Though Simon looked so happy, Clary didn't want to ruin the moment._

Clary shook her head. These flashbacks were appearing more and more often, she ought to stop them. Sighing, Clary grabbed her backpack and headed back to her makeshift home.

A purring sound came below her. The same midnight cat with yellow eyes was rubbing her ankle again. It had befriended Clary a few days after she ran away. It wouldn't let Clary touch it however, so it was just another picky cat who took advantage of humans. The cat always appeared and disappeared at different times. Yet, during all those times, Clary was always alone.

Clary looked at all the buildings around her. These weren't the crampy buildings of New York. They were big and simple with plenty of space. The weather was also perfect. It was slightly hot with a cool breeze. Walking over the highway, Clary could see the beach. It expanded over a surface and out on the water, you could see the horizon slightly curve. She sat down at the edge of the cliff sighed again. California was perfect in all sorts of ways. One of them, no one in her past could find her here all the way across the world. She had made sure to put as much distance between the past and herself.

But, unbeknownst to her, a certain person was nearby. A certain person Clary clearly did not want to see. That no distance could separate.


	3. Long Lost Returned

Maia looked around. She had been waiting for thirty minutes in a restaurant called Taki's. It didn't look very safe with a masculine guy with tattoos all over his body by a window. Then another girl and guy who looked very intimate together and badly in need of a room by the cashier's. Whoever her mystery date was, had sunk several degrees lower in her opinion of his self esteem.

Maia was just about to leave when she bumped into a guy. He had chocolate brown hair and dark brown eyes so much like a wolf's fur. He had a leather jacket and designer boots. Maia wanted to ditch her mystery guy and go out with this hottie instead.

The boy, no older than eighteen, walked over to her with a winning smile and asked, "Are you from Tennessee? Cause you're the only ten-I-see!"

Maia's face fell. She didn't really like cheesy pick-up lines much, they made her cringe.

The boy must've noticed because his stance gave away a bit and his mouth smiled softly.

"Honestly, are you my mystery date? Cause I don't want to embarrass my real date by going with a random person I think is hot."

Maia could barely make her mind move past the fact that her mystery date called her hot!

"Well unless we both have mystery dates today, then yes!"

Maia had a wonderful time. Despite his earlier swaggy character, deep inside, he was a sweet and witty boy. Taki's was also not that bad. The food a large range from Japanese sushi to French baguettes. Maia was able to order some ravioli and they were delish.

She was too busy chatting and laughing with her mystery date to notice another boy who had just come in. He had brown skin, dark and long-ish hair with hazel green eyes and tattoos rolling up his arms like scrolls. He was holding a picture of Maia. When he saw her and then her mystery date, the boy's smile fell and he left.

Maia was grabbing her coat and standing up as her mystery date lead her to the front door and held it open for her. They hugged goodbye with plans to meet again. Just as she was walking down Brooktree Avenue, she remembered something.

Dashing back to the boy, she asked, "I'm sorry, I never got your name."

"Simon, Simon Lewis," was the reply.

Clary was in the library reading some books when she heard the big news. A group of girls with fake tans and shark heels walked by. Whatever were they doing in a library, Clary had no clue.

"Omg, did you guys hear?!" one screeched.

"Mortal Instruments are in town! And we got tickets!" another literally howled.

"I think I'm going to faint. Eric is so hot!" another gushed.

"Not as hot as Simon!" the last one argued.

A librarian came to shush the girls. Clary was intrigued. There had been a Simon she knew two years ago and he had been in a band. She decided to search Mortal Instruments in the computer lab despite her earlier vow to leave the past as the past.

A search engine popped up. Clary clicked on the link. It showed four boys. One had a buzz cut with green eyes. Another had blond hair dyed red at the roots and on with brown hair and rather long hair. The last one had dark chocolate hair that was bleached at the tips to make it natural, Clary's detailed eyes noticed the fakeness. The boy looked startlingly like her old friend Simon. On a closer look, Clary realized it was Simon in spite of his said name as Simon Lovelace. Except for the yellow eyes which were clearly contacts. She looked down, the band had posted news that their next concert was in Vegas, California from seven to nine, tomorrow.

Clary missed her childhood friend but thought the possibility of getting discovered was too much. Besides, the tickets were too expensive anyway for a poor coffee girl like her anyway.

As the library closed, Clary ducked into her hiding place inside one of the torn bean bag seats. It was stifling but the best hiding spot because a night guard would never check inside a bean bag. When she heard the door close with a dull slam, did Clary crawl out of the bean bag. Settling on one of the couches, she fell asleep.

The next day at Java Jones, Maia was a chatterbox again.

"So, my date was amazing. He was so sweet!"

Clary then remembered Maia's blind date the other night.

"How was it?" she asked somewhat half heartedly. Today could have been a day where she could've had a glimpse of her long-lost best friend, now a famous band.

"It was the best. He even got us a couple VIP tickets for the Mortal Instruments concert tonight. Of course, I don't know who they are, I'm more interested in video games but whatever."

Clary perked up at the sound of Mortal Instruments. Sighing, she wished she had tickets for the concert, not knowing she said it out loud.

Maia seemed delighted. "I have some extra tickets. My date gave me some in case I want to invite a friend. You can have them."

At the girl's encouraging, a blushing Clary received the tickets. Now she could see Simon!


	4. Never Aged a Day

At the place of their performance, the Mirage, Simon was lying on his bed. He was remembering the day that had started the Mortal Instrument's fame.

 _Simon was sweating in his outfit as he strummed some practice records on his bass. Clary was there, smiling and encouraging Simon._

" _You're not that bad Simon. You won't completely fail," she said cheerfully._

" _Thanks, you just raised my hope a lot," replied Simon sarcastically._

 _Clay sighed and got up from the box she was sitting on. She walked over to Simon and took his hand._

" _You'll be great Simon. This is like me teaching that Isabelle brat. Hard and dreadful, but, it will help you in your later life."_

Simon smiled. Clary was right. It did help him in his later life. At the concert, the band had met an agent, Lilith. A shrewd and cunning woman who was the best agent at bargaining.

Thinking about Clary made Simon sad all over. The day she had ran away was the day he felt like part of him was missing. Not in a romantic way. Once he had told her of his long-time crush on her, she had refused him gently. Now they were over it. Yet, he still missed his Clary. His friend who would gaze a ceiling glo-stars with him or listen to him rant about Dungeons and Dragons.

He had never knew why she had ran away. There were lots of reasons yet they never sounded right. Her mother did abandon her with her brother for mysterious reasons. Valentine wasn't a very warm father. He was strict and firm but didn't really show any love. He was cold and distant in Simon's eyes but Clary thought him fair and caring. He did teach her martial arts and all but Simon didn't think it was enough. He knew that a good relationship was perfect and had everything, one of them love. Clary was a lively and rosy cheeked girl while Valentine was pale and robotish.

Then there was the Lightwoods. There was Isabelle. In the beginning, she was bratty and rude. But after several weeks with her, Clary had begun to soften the stiff child. It turns out, Izzy was just uncomfortable. She wasn't used to someone like Clary who was bright and determined.

Just then, a knock sounded at the door. Simon sat up surprised. He hadn't been expecting visitors. When he opened the door, he was greeted by a rather tall girl possibly thirteen with dark coffee hair and chocolate eyes.. She was wearing a long flowing white dress that looked like it came from the 90's but looked amazing on the stranger.

Simon's eyes widened.

"What do you think, hmm?" The girl gave a small twirl showing of combat boots under her floor length dress completely ignorant of Simon or the fact she was talking to a superstar.

"You shouldn't be here!" Simon hissed looking up and down the hallway.

The girl sighed as if bored. "Simon. We've been dating for like, two years and you're acting like some paranoid psycho."

The strange girl continued. "Mum is here on some important business with the LA fashion headquarters or something so I thought I might as well stop by. Jace came and is down the hall at room 117 or something. Alec's with Mag-"

"You do know that we are not supposed to be public right?!" Simon snapped, cutting of the girl conversation. "Your brothers know we're not dating right?"

"Just between you and me," she pouted, her mood ruined. "Now, does this dress look good or is it to old?"

Simon frown softened. No matter what the barriers were, he still loved his Isabelle.

"Anything will look breathtaking on you, Izzy," he said affectionately, pulling her into his arms.

Isabelle smiled and gave a peck on his lips. Then she flounced off with her skirt floating behind like a disappearing wisp of smoke.

Clary glanced nervously around nervously. The bus had dropped her off with Maya at a busy square in a hundred degrees. Maya was holding her phone and using a pamphlet as a shade over her eyes. You could see her curves more clearly in a red tank and shorty shorts. Clary sighed. Even dates made the most tomboyish of tomboys a girly-girl. Clary herself was wearing nothing more than a shirt with leggings.

"This way," Maia pointed at a place which looked the same as everything around it. She and Clary dodged human barriers as they reached the doors to the Mirage. The hotel was like a ginormous paper folded vertically and set on top of the bustling Las Vegas.

Pushing through the heavy glass doors of the hotel, the two simple coffee shop girls gazed around themselves in amazement. All around were guests streaming in and about in formal suites or skimpy clothes with designer bags. They all showed their riches. The couple in front of them clearly had plastic surgery and next to them was an elegant family with priceless jewels hanging around their necks.

Maia looked around and saw a couple stores nearby displaying the new nintendo's and xbox dvds. She looked at Clary with a sad puppy dog face.

Clary laughed and said, "Well, there is still two hours left before the concert, enough for some exploring. Let's meet up at six thirty."

With a squeal, Maia ran away to check out the electronics that were possibly way too expensive for her.

Clary shook her head and smiled. Better have a child enjoy life before it turns back on her. Wandering around Clary kept following the golden tiles. They led her to a elevator. Shrugging, because she had nowhere else to go, Clary got on. She could feel the stares of people as they stared at the scruffy girl who was obviously not from around. Blushing furiously, Clary got off the elevator as soon as the door opened. Sighing when no one followed her, Clary began to wander down the hall. _Where was she?_ As she reached the end, she noticed the doors there with numbers hammered on to them. 130, 128, 126... She was in the guestrooms!

As Clary scurried down the corridor back to the elevators, a door opened and out stepped a familiar blond haired and yellow eyed man, looking as if he never aged a day.


	5. Why do I Want to See Them

Maia looked around the store. It was filled with Xboxes, Nintendos, and expensive disks. Everything also seemed to have a limit of costing no less than one hundred dollars. Maia huffed in frustration as she left the store. Everything was so expensive and fancy here. Not the best place for a simple town girl.

"Hi."

Maia whirled around. A dark skinned boy was standing there. He was well toned and had a rather ruggish look to him. Yet, his most noticeable features were the rows and rows of words tattooed onto his arms.

"Are you here for the concert?" The boy continued, "I'm also going there too. Can I join you?"

"Um, what?" Maia sputtered. "Sorry I came here with somebody. My boyfriend. He's around here somewhere."

 _Smooth, Maia. Real smooth._

"No problem, I already have a girlfriend. Just, I'm a bit lost. Do you mind if I come?"

"Okay?" Maia could tell that this boy was used to getting everything his way and he was getting rather impatient. Also, who would want to fight with muscles like that?

"Just waiting for my friend," Maia replied then turned around to find Clary. _Where did that girl go? She moved like a ghost!_

Simon glanced over his shoulder when he felt a tap on it.

"Dude, we're up in like fifteen minutes! You done?"

Simon hastily shoved his hand back into his pocket.

"Yeah give me a second."

Eric left with a huff, muttering, "One day we'll be fired for being late and it'll be your fault."

Ever since he had entered stardom, Eric began acting more dramatic than usual. Simon sighed. _People do change, huh. I hope she didn't._ Then he chastised himself for being stupid. _She's been gone for nearly two or three years. Who knows what she's like._

He got off the stool and headed onstage.

"Right about here."

Clary couldn't stop staring at the golden boy in front of her. When she had met Jace, she nearly fainted. Yet, years of walking in the streets had given her a quick mouth and a silver tongue.

" _Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't want to bother you. I'm here for the Mortal Instruments concert and I heard that Simon was living here?" she lied._ Did she sound a bit squeaky?

 _Jace sighed. "So stupid, these fans. What's so good about that rat?" he grumbled._

" _Maybe cause he's better than you, you arrogant brat," Clary blurted._ Nononono, I want to take that back. God, make him forget, please. Or maybe make him deaf.

" _Is that so?" Jace mocked. Clary looked up, distracted from her ramblings. Despite his tone, Jace's brows were furrowed and his eyes unfocused as if he was seeing something else._

 _Clary wanted to scream in relief._ He doesn't know. He doesn't know who I am! _She wanted to sing._ He doesn't recognize me! _Suddenly, Clary felt depressed. Did he really not remember her? His sister's tutor? His ex-_

Clary shook her head. This was the second time in three days. Something must be wrong. _Maybe being close with people from the past must've triggered something._ She vowed to never see them again. _Besides_ , she thought, _he probably doesn't remember me now, after he dumped me. I'm just one of the millions of girls who he has kissed. Yet, the way he said them, those words, were so real, so…_ _No, stop. He dumped you. He kicked you into the streets. What kind of pathetic dog will you be to go and scratch at the closed door and whine after him?_

"Ah yes, thank you," Clary was again interrupted from her thoughts by him and his arched eyebrow - _Gah! That eyebrow!_ \- "I'll be off."

Clary left Jace standing there and waded through the crowds of screaming fans. She turned back and felt something sink when she noticed the golden boy was no longer there. _What you thought he'd call after you? Pathetic._

" **Ladies and gents, welcome the** _ **... Mortal Instruments!"**_ the speakers blared.

 _Oh, shoot,_ thought Clary, _better find Maia soon._

 _Ugh, this has gotten me in such a strange mess. Why do I want to meet people I don't ever want to see again?_

 _"_ Hey, Simon?"

Simon whirled around. There, was Izzy in the flowing white dress standing in the dark backstage like a ghost.

"Yeah Iz? This has to be short I'm up in about fifteen minutes."

"Oh? Okay. I was just wondering where I should go."

"Well, if you exit from that door, go right then up the first set of stairs you see and into a door labeled 3204, you'll be in a balcony with seats that are reserved for VIPs. I guess you can go there?"

"Oh, okay. Thanks Simon. I'll be cheering for you."

As Izzy opened the door to 3204, she nearly closed it. Inside, was a pale girl with the same fiery red hair and clear green eyes talking to a extremely curvy and frizzy haired girl. Izzy hesitantly watched the girl as she sat at a seat a row behind her. She was too skinny, too pale to be the same girl in her dreams, yet she looked so much alike. Then, again, what were the chances that they'll meet again? _Maybe she's a doppelganger._ Izzy settled into her seat to watch the concert but couldn't ignore the nagging feeling that something was going to happen.


	6. Discovered

Maia looked around. _Where is he?_ The mysterious boy, Kyle, had left after finding Clary and taking her to the VIP seats. _How did he even know that I had VIP seats?_ Maia decided to shrug it off as she navigated through the packed VIP balcony.

Out of the corner of her eye, Maia noticed the door to the balcony open and she saw a hint of a soft and flowing fabric and a dark and blurry face before it suddenly closed again. Apparently, she wasn't the last one. Maia turned back to Clary only to find her staring at the same place Maia was, as white as a ghost.

"Um, hello? Earth to Clary," asked Maia in a concerned voice.

Clary shook her head as if waking from a nap and suddenly asked Maia what her favorite type of cat. Maia blinked in surprise before replying that she was "more of a dog person." Clary quickly fired another question, then another and another. _Since when was this girl so chatty?_

While flipping her hair, Maia noticed the same girl from the doorway, sitting a row behind them. On a closer look, the mysterious girl was beautiful, in a dark and sexy way with richly-toned caramel skin and dark black hair. She looked like a princess from the eastern deserts. Maia also observed that the girl's posture was very stiff and tense, as if she even had to keep her royal posture in this dark place.

As Maia turned back to talk to Clary and was startled to see Clary was also discreetly trying to get a glimpse of the girl. Almost abruptly, Clary shifted her head to look at Maia and started talking as if nothing happened. Maia wrinkled her eyebrows. _Something's going on…_

The concert ended before Maia realized it. Since Clary was talking so much, she didn't really hear much about the concert. Also, Simon hadn't come at all and now the concert was over. Dejected, Maia twisted around only to find Clary hurriedly packing her bag.

As they walked out of the building, or speed-walked for Clary, Maia noticed the same beautiful girl from the VIP room. She was looking around rather agitated as if she was waiting for someone. Suddenly, a boy ran towards the girl. They seemed to be arguing before the boy leaned in for a sudden kiss. The girl was startled before they started bantering again, but in a playful way. As Maia squinted her eyes, straining to see the boy clearer, for he looked familiar. As the boy walked the girl back into the hotel, a nearby light caught his face and for a split second, a familiar face appeared.

No, no, it's impossible. No way! He would never do that! He was the first person who had made Maia feel like she was important, that she was a human being who deserved respect. He wouldn't cheat with someone he had liked and enjoyed time with! Someone who went out of their way to comfort another person wouldn't lie to them. That's illogical. Yet there he was, kissing another girl.

Anger filled Maia up. She trusted him! They had laughed together and shared personal stories. Completely overcome with anger, Maia stalked over to Simon.

"You liar! You son of a goddamn bitch! I hope you die, you womanizer asshole!" Maia cursed.

She vented all her anger on Simon. She shouted all the words she could find on the tip of her tongue. Although their time together had been short, Maia felt like they had known each other forever. She really, sincerely, thought him a good person and a tiny part of her loved him. Yet he just mercilessly ripped it out and left it on the cold, hard ground. What really hurt however, was that she believed him. She believed his sugar-coated words that filled her with a bubbly and warm feeling. Simon could have at least told her he loved someone else. Maia would forgive that. But tricking her and laughing at that, Maia hated it. It made her feel weak and insecure. _Was I not good enough?_

Her eyes stung as tears threatened to spill. Maia realized that she was so mad, her eyes started to fill. She hated that too. She turned around and ran away leaving a stunned Simon under the light.

Clary trembled behind a bush. As soon as she saw that face, the face that laughed with her, comforted her and accompanied her all her life, she ran. She fled cowardly from that memory. Because that face brought a dark past she was trying to erase. If she had stayed, the demons would have caught her, snagged her and dragged her back into the darkness. So she ran.

But Maia had walked forwards. Clary was shocked. _What relationship did Maia have with him?_ As she bolted away, Clary could hear Maia's angry words that concealed a broken heart. _What happened?_

Maia sobbed onto the shoulder of a stiff Clary. They had reunited after wandering on the hotel's back lawn.

Maia kept repeating the same word over and over again: _liar_. Clary frowned. He wouldn't lie. The boy she knew all his life would never lie. No, he could not lie. The Simon she knew was a terrible liar. His ears would turn pink and he would look down. This was not the Simon she knew. He was a complete stranger.

"Liar… He is a lia-," Maia hiccupped.

"Let's take you home," Clary said stiffly as she tried to take the heartbroken girl towards the bus stop.

As she looked behind her, towards the hotel, she couldn't help but recall their thoughts earlier this afternoon. She had came here hoping to catch a glimpse of the sweet boy she once knew and Maia hoped to reunite with her blind date. How disappointed and wrong had they been.

The bus came screeching to a stop. Clary, supporting half of Maia's weight, struggled to get onboard. She nearly tripped on the steps when a firm hand reached out to grab her arm. Clary's eyes traveled down the arm to a wiry and thin body to the person's blue eyes. Clary wrenched her arm out of the stranger's hold and hurried up the stairs. The bus roared away leaving a dumbfounded Alec at the bus stop.


	7. Familiar Faces

**Hey guys! Sorry for the long absence! I'm not very good at consistently doing one stuff lol. So ya, sorry if I hurt u my bad. Anyway I'll try to do best (lol). Btw I changed Isabelle's age to 15 and Maia's name is Maya. I may have written it as Maya but I don't want to go back and correct it so ya. Enjoy the chapter!**

Clary sat on the barstool surrounded by a mountain of drenched tissues. Maia had started crying out of the blue and the only thing Clary could think of was to get two boxes of was noontime, the day after the shocking truth, and Clary herself was feeling agitated, too. After all, she had seen not only one or two but four familiar faces. It was quite a shock after almost three years.

Maia sniffled again. Clary handed her a clean tissue.

"Why did he cheat on me?" Maia whispered. "He was so nice and sweet, I thought that he would, I don't know, be better than…"

Maia trailed off. Clary, too, was confused. She knew Simon better than anyone. She knew he wouldn't cheat on anyone. He was a sweet, honest, clumsy and dorky fluffball. He would never cheat. Well, the one Clary knew wouldn't.

Clary sighed and leaned against the counter. A lot of things would change in three years after all. Nothing would stay the same.

A ringing bell informed the two workers of a customer.

"Hello? Is this place open? The sign says you guys won't close until 9 pm," asked the man.

Clary and Maia hastily sweeped the mountain of tissues into a trash bag.

"Just wait one minute please," Clary chirped.

She turned around to Maia and whispered, "You can take a rest, I'll cover your shift."

The red-eyed girl nodded gratefully and headed for the storage room after grabbing a box of tissues.

Clary thought that it was pretty strange for Maia to cry over a boy she just met. _Maybe something something traumatic happened to her last relationship._

The customer customer coughed politely.

"Can you take my order now?"

"Oh yes, of course," Clary replied as she donned on her apron, "what can I get you?"

"A caramel frappuccino, please."

"Name?"

"Sebastian Fray."

Clary wrote the name on his cup and started to make the drink herself since she took over Maia's shift. Above the machines Clary's careful eyes observed the customer. He had a pleasant face with hair so black, it looked like it was dyed and eyes that absorbed all light. He was in his early twenties with a lean frame and a crooked smile. Clary thought that the customer was nice. After all, he didn't yell at her and Maia when they were obviously slacking off.

"Here's your caramel frappuccino! Have a good day," Clary cheerily said with a small wave.

Sebastian smiled and waved back as he exited the coffee shop. Clary's vision blurred and Sebastian's face changed. It looked sort of familiar. Then it was gone. _Must be the sun_ Clary decided. The little bell rung again, signifying the man's absence.


End file.
